Chilean cherries kick off 2025-26 season in China with exclusive and profitable TikTok sales

Written and reported by Macarena Bravo | Lee esta historia en Español.

The 2025–26 Chilean cherry season officially began last week with the arrival of the first shipment in China. Companies Global AG and Global Talsa Fresh exported approximately 4,400 pounds of the AG2 variety, marking the cultivar’s debut in the coveted Asian market.

The fruit, harvested in mid-October in Chile’s Colchagua Valley, arrived in Shanghai on Friday and will be sold exclusively online through TikTok. 

“The first shipment was two tons, and we are going to sell them via TikTok—100% online sales,” Aníbal Schurter, co-founder of both companies, tells FreshFruitPortal.com.

The AG2 cherries will be sold directly to Chinese consumers, bypassing traditional distribution channels. Schurter says his team in China, along with a designated influencer, will coordinate pricing and promotions through the social media platform.

“We set a reference price, and then, depending on the movement it generates, the influencer raises the price. But we are talking about 1,100 yuan for 2.5 kg, which is equivalent to about $150,” he explains.

Earlier harvests, earlier sales

According to the company, ongoing genetic innovation moved this season’s harvest up to mid-October—five days ahead of last year’s first pick. 

“The investments and efforts in innovation over the past 15 years are bearing fruit positively,” says Schurter.

Global AG and Global Talsa Fresh prioritize internal varietal development over commercial varieties. 

“We haven't planted varieties known to the public for two years,” the executive explains. “Now we only plant internal codes, without commercial names, such as AG2, which will be named once it is commercially successful.”

AG2, a variety with genetic origins in California dating back to the 1950s, has been under evaluation by the company for five years. Co-founder John Warmendam, who also grows cherries in California, tests selections in US orchards before introducing them to Chile.

“Innovation is the only way forward, and we are advancing faster and faster,” Schurter says.

Chilean cherries targeting Asian preferences

AG2 cherries have a caliber of over 30 millimeters, slightly above average. Other key attributes, such as higher firmness and its extra-sweetness of 20 degrees Brix—with low acidity—are all catered to appeal especially to Asian consumers.

Schurter notes, however, that the variety has limitations. 

“It is less prone to splitting than Brooks, but it still needs to be protected from rain. Additionally, if harvesting is delayed, the pedicel tends to detach,” he explains. 

In terms of skin color, AG2 is reported to be close to Lapins but does not reach the darker tone of Santina.

Looking ahead, Schurter says the company is working on extending the season at both ends.

“Today, we harvest in early October in central Chile, getting closer and closer to September,” he says. “On the other extreme, we already have varieties that would reach March in the southern zone.”

Schurter adds that future technologies developed by the company may be shared with the wider industry, “as long as intellectual property, the law, and we, as inventors, are respected.”

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